Today’s episode is a minisode, where we highlight a current member of The Scooty Fund (TSF). We are thrilled to welcome Howard Cooke to the podcast, a board member and current Vice President of TSF. Howard shares his mental health journey and how TSF cultivated a bond between him and others facing similar struggles.

In his early 20s, Howard found himself in an emergency room with a nearly collapsed lung. A life of emotional disregard and a series of dangerous and unhealthy coping mechanisms ultimately led to a life-threatening situation. It wasn’t always this way; Howard lived without fear of anxiety until his first panic attack in high school. He shares with us his fixation on finding a “cure” for his anxiety and mental health struggles.

After this experience, Howard committed to consistent therapy and started listening to his emotions instead of hiding. He had a second chance for self-discovery and was determined to relearn his identity through reflection and various methods of meditation. Howard joined TSF in 2020 and found lifelong friends and meaningful connections because of his mental health journey. He shares how you can help a friend in need and how we can change the narrative of masculinity in mental health conversations.

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Today we welcome Dr. Vishal Adma and Dr. Jyotsna Adma to the podcast. Dr. Vishal Adma is a physician executive with over 20 years of leadership experience. He has worked in various healthcare settings and can help us understand the complexities of mental health.

Dr. Jyotsna Adma is a Physician leader and a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. She brings a great understanding of mental health in children and adolescents, and helps us understand why it is important to pay attention to mental health as much as physical health.

Both Jyotsna and Vishal will help us understand the reservations that parents may have when considering mental health conditions in their children. Jyotsna breaks down the topic of medication for children, while reiterating that mental health conditions are medical conditions. We learn the intricacies of psychiatry, psychology and behavioral health; how they relate and how they differ. We learn that there are many ways to seek help, and that everyone’s unique mental health situation requires a unique treatment.

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

**TRIGGER WARNING** for child abuse/sexual trauma in today's episode.

Today we welcome Sebastian Scales to the podcast. Sebastian’s work centers around destigmatizing conversations about traumatic experiences. He is the Founder and President of What Happened to You? foundation, which provides resources to survivors of trauma so they can feel comfortable sharing their stories. In addition, he hosts the What Happened to You? podcast, which normalizes taboo conversation through the use of humor.

In this episode, Sebastian shares with us that he was molested as a child. His journey to uncover his trauma and suppressed emotions started with a stage and a microphone. He entered the world of stand-up comedy, and through humor he found that he could share his story in a way that didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, it opened up a conversation between strangers and ultimately led to Sebastian seeking therapy. Sebastian is changing the way we approach taboo conversation, and it begins with unconditional open dialogue.

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Introducing season two of the podcast, we welcome Kasey Taylor for our first episode. Kasey is the Co-Founder and past President of The Scooty Fund, an Art Advisor, and a Clinical Psychology graduate student. In this episode, Kasey pulls back the curtain on the challenges of adulthood. She tackles topics of drinking, drug use, and unhealthy relationships with food.

We learn about Kasey’s brother, Will, who died by suicide. A year after Will’s death, Kasey created The Scooty Fund, which aims to change the culture surrounding mental health. She brings full transparency of her mental health decline and what it looks like to gradually rebuild healthy coping mechanisms. Something that stands out in today’s episode is the most important thing to Kasey: creating space for conversation.

Follow Kasey on IG @kaseyt23

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

In Season 2 of Scoot, our host, Claire Calfo, is on a mission to create a culture in which young adults practice mindfulness, awareness, and non-judgmental acceptance towards themselves and others, and a culture in which empathy and connection are the norm.
 ⁃The Scooty Fund: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en

Join the mission and tune in to Season 2; launching October 14, 2022.

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Were you once a student athlete? Did you ever experience the stigma within sports culture? Or maybe you know someone who is currently. Join us for our final episode of the season as we welcome Leeann Passaro, the COO of The Hidden Opponent. We learn about the work her company is doing to create a strong community and platform for student athletes facing mental health concerns. We discuss the importance of conversations in high school and beyond surrounding mental health and sports culture, and touch on the personal challenges she faced as a college athlete.
Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org & learn more about The Hidden Opponent’s work at https://thehiddenopponent.com/
Please consider supporting our work by donating: https://www.scootyfund.org/donate.html
Follow The Scooty Fund:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thescootyfund?s=20
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-scooty-fund/

Follow The Hidden Opponent:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehiddenopponent/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hidden_opponent

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-hidden-opponent/

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Do you find yourself burning out in the workplace? How about struggling to practice self-compassion? We discuss all of this and more as we welcome Amy Small to our podcast. Amy is the Executive Vice President of Media Cause and a mental health advocate. She shares some of her journey through mental health and how it has led to the work she does. We dive into wellness in the workplace, addressing burnout, and how both employees and leadership can drive forward necessary conversations surrounding mental health. Amy speaks a bit about practicing self-judgement with kindness and shares resources to learn more about holding space for yourself.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org & read about Amy’s work at: http://amysmall.net

Please consider supporting our work by donating: https://www.scootyfund.org/donate.html

Follow The Scooty Fund:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thescootyfund?s=20
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-scooty-fund/

Follow Amy:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spancheee/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amysmall/

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Is it difficult to put yourself before others? Do you feel like your needs are always the last to be met? This week, we welcome Self Discovery Coach, Lexy Davis to the pod. Lexy runs Alive to Enjoy, a 1-on-1 coaching program. She brings vast insight on prioritizing yourself through various methods of inner work. We speak about identifying your needs, establishing boundaries, and inviting “play” time into your life. Lexy also shares her personal story of childhood abandonment and parentification, and how that has led to the journey she is on today.

Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org & learn more about Lexy’s coaching program, Alive to Enjoy at: https://www.alivetoenjoy.com/

Please consider supporting our work by donating: https://www.scootyfund.org/donate.html

Follow The Scooty Fund:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thescootyfund?s=20
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-scooty-fund/

Follow Lexy:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alivetoenjoy/
• Podcast: https://www.alivetoenjoy.com/heartsnuggles

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Have you ever experienced a loved one in crisis? This week, we speak with Ben Greiner, the Founder of TAD (Talk About Depression). Ben discusses what it means to help someone in distress, how to identify the signs of depression, and the importance of education around mental health crises. He shares his personal story dealing with a friend in anguish, and the impact it had on his outlook through the creation of his company.
Learn more about The Scooty Fund’s work at https://www.scootyfund.org & learn more about Ben Greiner’s work at: https://thetadproject.org/about & https://tadhealth.com/
Please consider supporting our work by donating: https://www.scootyfund.org/donate.html
Follow The Scooty Fund:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thescootyfund/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thescootyfund?s=20
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-scooty-fund/

Follow TAD:

• Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thetadproject/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetadproject?t=4NjT19VJvZm3EhvtuPytLw&s=09

*correction at 25:35 - "crisis information officer" is meant to be "crisis intervention trained officer".

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke

Do you struggle with feeling like you’re not enough? This week, we speak with award-winning journalist Jennifer Wallace, a columnist for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. She discusses the effects of perfectionism on mental health, the perils of social media, and how to deal with stress during difficult times.

Follow The Scooty Fund:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Website

Follow Jennifer

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Website

Follow our hosts Claire & Howard on IG:
@clairecalfo
@howardcooke